PECO unveils Small Business Gas Grant Program

PHILADELPHIA — A new program launched by PECO will provide grants to 900 area small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, to help with their PECO gas bill.

Qualifying small business customers enduring financial hardship can apply for the one-time, $500 grant through the newly created Small Business Gas Grant Program. The grant will be applied directly to the customer’s existing PECO natural gas account as a credit toward payment due or to offset future gas bills.

The program will award a total of $450,000 in grants to PECO small business gas customers as they continue their recovery from the economic impacts of the ongoing pandemic.

In a press release announcing the new program, the company said support for its customers “becomes even more important as energy bills are expected to rise nationally this winter season.”

“With this new program, we will continue to support local businesses on their road to recovery, while delivering safe and reliable service and helping customers save energy and money,” Mike Innocenzo, PECO president and CEO, said in a statement.

The grants will be awarded on a first-come first-considered basis, to PECO commercial gas service customers with no more than 25 total employees.

In addition, to be eligible a business must be an existing PECO natural gas customer prior to March 31, 2020 with an account in the name of the business, be on PECO’s GC (Gas Commercial Service) rate, and are required to attest to having experienced a financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The application for the Small Business Gas Grant Program can be accessed at www.peco.com/gasgrant.

Home based businesses, are eligible for the grant, if the business takes its gas service under rate code GC, according to information in an FAQ about the program on PECO’s website.

Once an application is approved, the customer can expect to see the grant show on their bill within 60 days. If an application is rejected, a business owner may reapply, if the “stated reason for rejection has been resolved,” the program FAQ stated.

In addition, recipients of stimulus money, loans, grants or payouts from other governmental and non-governmental agencies are eligible to apply for the grant.

Questions about PECO’s Small Business Gas Grant Program can be emailed to PECOSCIGasGrantProgram@exeloncorp.com

To learn about Energy Efficiency savings opportunities for small businesses, visit peco.com/waystosave or call 844-424-9728.

Headquartered in Philadelphia, PECO delivers energy to more than 1.6 million electric customers and more than 532,000 natural gas customers in southeastern Pennsylvania.